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Why do we train? Why do we bust our guts in the gym to look better? This is a question you might ask yourself when training doesn’t seem to go your way and the gains come to a halt. Sometimes knowing why you’re doing something and having focus, gives you the desired motivation to succeed. When it comes to training, you need all the discipline and motivation you can get, especially when the "new year" feeling starts to wear off.

Many people who don’t train and don’t possess a healthy, attractive well-trained physique like to make excuses for their laziness, by coming out with "feel-good" comments. They use these comments to justify their inability to dedicate more than one day a week to training, their inability to stick to a diet. Basically, they are people that want a good physique without putting in the effort. There is no free lunch in life and with gym training, if you want a great physique that everyone else admires, then you have to make the sacrifices. If you’re not prepared to make the sacrifices, that’s fine. Just don’t preach the “feel-good” shit to everyone else and admit that you weren’t prepared to watch your diet, train 3-4 times per week, etc.

“Feel-good” comments often heard: • Learn to love your body for what it is • Life isn’t about training • If she (or he) thinks I’m fat he can leave me • People must respect me for what I am, I'm not changing for them

These feel good comments may sound good. But the people who make them fail to realise that life is like a game. The ones who know how to play always win. That means motivating jobs, great friends, loyal partners and more money. Looking good for others and showing others how good you feel about yourself is one of the most important choices you have full control over. I find understanding why we train, helps us focus and stick to it

Below are 99% of the reasons why:

I don’t like the way I look It doesn’t matter whether you actually look like a model or not, if you feel insecure about your body, then that’s how you feel, it's irrelevant what anyone else tells you. Not liking the way you look physically can make you insecure and lack confidence. You could go on some "touchy feely" course to make you feel better about yourself, costing hundreds of pounds, but then again you could just train.

You have to remember, you have a choice. You can go along and just be average, and feel average about yourself, but if training improves your physique and makes you feel better, your whole life will change around - guaranteed. If you feel better about yourself, you’ll become more confident and outgoing. Confident, outgoing and bubbly people are fun to be around. Within months, you’ll be attracting the best of the opposite sex, you’ll be noticed in your job, maybe even promoted, as you exude confidence to all around you.

If you’re in sales, your newfound confidence and appearance will result in greater sales and more deals being closed. Customers love to do business with well-groomed attractive people, instead of fat slobs wearing dirty clothes who haven't cleaned their teeth or cut their hair. It may sound nasty, but it’s fact. It's also a fact that people always prefer to be with people who make them feel good. If training makes you feel better about yourself, then you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. The ones that make the pathetic "feel-good" excuses are the ones who lose out.

I want to appear attractive to the opposite sex Another common theme, often touted by people. I often find that these types of gym users have little motivation, they are often obsessed with training only their arms, thinking that women love this body part only. These types of trainers are often suckers for every ‘get big quick’ scam that's going. They want instant results and don’t want to put the effort in. When results stop, so does their training and then they are the first to make �feel good″ excuses themselves. Don’t fall into this category.

If you’re training for the opposite sex, there is no doubt, that a well-toned, tanned, lean and muscular body is far more attractive to the opposite sex, than an overweight slob. However if you are going to train, train the whole body and develop your personality at the same time. It doesn’t matter how attractive your physique, if you’re an arrogant, big headed, sleazy arsehole, who walks around like he’s God, you won't pull anyone.

Many trainers in this category often neglect their legs, as they assume legs are rarely noticed (they’re also hard work). When on the beach, they look like potato men, big, arms, big chest and legs like twiglets. Don’t let this happen to you, it’s a waste. The best reason for training legs and doing squats, is that it also develops your butt. I have never met a woman who doesn’t like a decent firm rounded butt and nothing builds it better than deadlifts and squats.

I am bullied and teased about how puny I look (or how fat I look!) Many bodybuilders start because of this. Unfortunately, we can’t be responsible for what parents we have. The genetics we are given are the cards we are dealt. However, it’s you who decides how well you play those cards. I don’t care what your physique is, there is no one who can’t lose bodyfat or get more muscular, if they are focused enough!

When I first started training, it was embarrassing. I weighed 9 1/2 stone at 5′ 9″. In 5 years I weighed, 15 1/2 stone - that’s a 5 stone gain. My whole outlook on life changed for the better, I started full contact kickboxing and wrestling and the bullies from years ago were never seen again. My newfound confidence was contagious and I developed many great friends and dated many beautiful women.

I now put that confidence and energy into helping others achieve their dreams. However, it was not without sacrifices. To put on a stone a year for 5 years, required a complete change in lifestyle. I lost many friends who were losers, who just cared about doing drugs, drinking and partying. I went to bed early and lost girlfriends who hated the fact I put training first. I told them that they liked me because I trained, but they weren’t interested.

You can achieve the impossible whatever you look like, but it requires doing the right things and making sacrifices whilst others maybe enjoying themselves. Just remember that in the years to come, you will have made something of your body and you life, whilst they’ll still be drinking, doing drugs and wasting their life away, moaning how terrible everything is, whilst you'll be looking great and enjoying life to the full.

Some people may be offended by this in your face article, but if I just get a handful of people to get off their butts and make a difference to the way they look and their life, then this article was worthwhile.